OFTP Email Groups

How the e-lists work

Subscribing

Subscription to an e-list can be done in a few different ways:

• by going to the group's yahoogroup webpage and clicking on "join this group"
• by sending an email to the group's "subscribe" email address
• by clicking on the "join now" button in an email invitation to join

If you are a member of OFTP, when you send a request to join a particular list, you will receive a notice indicating that you have been subbed onto the email list you have selected. If you are not a member of OFTP, or your email address is unknown to the moderator of the email list, you will receive an email from the moderator asking that you identify yourself as an OFTP member. Once OFTP membership has been confirmed the moderator will sub you onto the list you have selected and an email will be sent to you indicating that you have been subbed onto the list.

Accessing the messages

There are many options for reading messages from the list, including receiving individual posts, or one daily digest, or choosing the "no mail" option where you receive no mail but can still access both new posts and the archives directly on the yahoogroup website. All these options you can handle yourself when you are subscribed to the list. Once you, as an OFTP member, are subbed onto (say) the OFTP list, you can go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oftp/ and select the "Edit My Membership" feature which will take you to a page where you can make the changes. You can also unsubscribe yourself from the "Edit My Membership" page as well.

Accessing the other list features

Yahoogroups also have other features, which can be accessed from the yahoogroup's webpages. Yahoo! Groups will ask you to log in with your Yahoo! ID and password first. Once you're on the specific group's pages, you'll see a menu on the right-hand side. Click on the links in that menu to get to the following features:

• Chat - for real-time chatting. This could be used for meetings.
• Files - you can create a text file or upload text files from your computer. The exec list uses this feature to work on documents together.
• Photos - you can upload images from your computer for other members to view from this feature's webpages.
• Links - add your favourite bookmarks to share with the other members.
• Database - tables can be created to share information. Each member can add their own record to a table.
• Polls - a poll can be set up for members of the group to vote on a specific topic. The exec list sometimes uses this feature to help make decisions.
• Members - a list of all the group's members, by Yahoo! profile, with their partially obscured email addresses. You can click on their email address to send them a personal email, or view their profile page by clicking on their Yahoo! profile.
• Calendar - you can add events to the group's calendar, and view by day, week, month or year.

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

OFTP Email List

The oftp general list is where people discuss and share ideas and information about homeschooling. They might, for instance, discuss homeschooling issues that come up in their lives, pass along articles they read, make announcements about conferences, new products that they come across, and ask questions related to homeschooling issues such as dealing with school boards, legalities, etc.

To join the list, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oftp or email oftp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include your full name in your subscription request.

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

OFTP Chat Email List

The oftp chat list is for chatting about anything that would be considered off-topic on the general list. While the general list remains focussed on homeschooling and related issues, the chat list provides a forum in which members have the freedom to talk about just about anything.

To join this list, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oftpchat or email oftpchat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include your full name in your subscription request.

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

Executive List

The OFTP EXEC list is open to any OFTP member and anyone can choose to participate and influence the direction of the organization through this list. Our decision-making agreement and communication guidelines help us work together in a mutually supportive way. Decisions are reached by consensus and relate to such issues as how to interact with local school boards, the Children's Aid Society and post-secondary institutions, as well as how our group's funds should be directed and which events our group should support. Many people join not to participate but to simply keep informed and that is welcome as well.

To join the list, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OFTPEXEC or email OFTPEXEC-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include your full name in your subscription request.

By subscribing to this list, we're all agreeing to communicate respectfully, and we understand that our continued participation on the list is dependent on our willingness and ability to do so. Guidelines for participating on the list are found here: http://www.ontariohomeschool.org/guidelines.html

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

Hotline List

The purpose of this list is threefold:

1) to train new OFTP hotline volunteers to answer hotline calls

2) to offer a venue for past hotline volunteers to share their knowledge and experience

3) to deal with various non-routine requests that come to OFTP over the hotline

Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OFTPHOTLINE or email OFTPHOTLINE-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include your full name in your subscription request.

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

OFTP Website Email List

The oftpwebsite list is for OFTP members who are involved in helping the website manager maintain the OFTP website. It is for distributing tasks among the list members and discussing technical matters relating to those tasks, such as web standards, coding for accessibility, cross browser solutions and SEO. Discussion of content is limited to such matters as organizational and copyright concerns. (Discussion that relates to the impression conveyed by the content should be held on the OFTP executive list.)

To join this list, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oftpwebsite or email oftpwebsite-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include your full name in your subscription request.

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

University Project List

The University Project is an initiative of the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents designed to study the present situation with regard to access of home educated students to colleges and universities in Canada.

Through surveys of colleges and universities, and research, we will gain an understanding of the issues that Canadian students face upon applying to these institutions.

This information will be used in the development of a proposal to streamline the process and make it more accessible, as well as to educate Canadian colleges and universities and homeschooling families.

If you would like to help in any way with this project... we invite you to participate.

Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oftpuniversityproject or email oftpuniversityproject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include your full name in your subscription request.

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

OFTPkids

Are you a homeschooling kid in Ontario? Become an OFTP Kid and come join this email list! Share your thoughts and interests, stories and jokes, and make friends with other OFTP Kids!

OFTP Kids are homeschooling children whose families are members of the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents (OFTP). To join OFTP, have your parents visit www.ontariohomeschool.org/benefits.html.

To join the OFTPkids list, send your parents' full names to OFTPkids-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (Remember: your family has to be a member of OFTP first.)

RULES: Everybody needs to be treated with respect, so remember to keep your language appropriate and kind. The list is moderated by OFTP parents.

There is a separate list for OFTP Teens (see below).

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

OFTPteens

Are you a homeschooling teen in Ontario? Would you like to make friends and share your thoughts and interests with other Ontario homelearning teens? You can do that on the OFTP Teens email list.

OFTP is the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents. To join OFTP: see www.ontariohomeschool.org/benefits.html. To join the OFTPteens list: once your family has an OFTP membership, send your parents' full names to OFTPteens-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

RULES: There is a lot of diversity in the homeschooling community. Please treat differences with respect and keep your language appropriate and kind. This list is moderated by OFTP parents.

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -

Other OFTP Email Lists

OFTP has a few other email lists that are set up in the form of committees to deal with a particular area or issue. They are as follows:

Public Relations List

Conference List

Some of these lists may or may not be active at present. For more information about joining one of these lists please contact OFTP.

Reminder: Please note you must be a member of OFTP to join any of the email lists indicated above. Join OFTP now and then join us online!

- e-list menu - how the e-lists work - main menu - top -